Regional Finance Controller, South East Asia (SEA)

About the Group

Founded in 2002, Global Schools Foundation is a Singapore-headquartered, community-oriented education institution whose mission is to cultivate and nurture young minds into global leaders of the future. In the last two decades, the Foundation has grown to 64 campuses in 11 countries, providing world-class education to over 45,000 students from 70+ nationalities. The schools offer various curricula, including IB, Cambridge, and CBSE.

Job Purpose

The role holder is responsible for providing leadership to the Regional Finance team of SEA, assisting in the development and implementation of Finance strategies, policies, and procedures in the geography, and providing support to the senior leadership team.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership:

• Assist group finance head in the development and implementation of Finance policies and practices in the region.
• Lead finance controllers of SEA region.
• Support the design and delivery of Finance priorities and organizational strategies in line with the organization’s business plans.
• Support the design and implementation of various systems to improve efficiency as the organization grows (e.g. Accounting, Budgeting/MIS, Statutory Audit).

Functional:

• Develop relevant measurable performance metrics for the regional Finance team, and proactively track performance against the metrics to ensure fiscal control and financial feasibility.
• Responsible for preparation and monitoring of budget, working closely with Country Directors, Principals, and other stakeholders.
• Oversee the day-to-day financial/accounts operations, transactions, and timely collection of fees.
• Ensure compliance with all aspects of financial and internal control, financial and management reporting, business planning, statutory reporting, tax compliance, transaction processing, and credit management.
• Lead and coordinate with all stakeholders for timely and accurate monthly/annual books closure.
• Ensure prompt and accurate collation and analysis of monthly MIS for presentation to senior leadership team.
• Manage treasury function, including tracking outstanding loans and monitoring covenants.
• Actively participate in the preparation of business models for acquisition and greenfield projects.
• Involved in acquisition and funding of new schools, working with the integration team for complete finance integration.

Interaction:

• Work closely with shared service team in India for day-to-day accounting, books closure, and MIS work.
• Interact with other departments and academic teams to support operational activities of the campus.
• Collaborate with statutory and internal auditors for timely completion of audits.
• Build strong networks and maintain good working relationships with internal and external partners.

People Focus:

• Collaborate with Human Resources to increase competency within the function through development and recruitment of talent.
• Lead the recruitment, selection, orientation, and training of employees in the shared services team.
• Build and manage high-performing teams by providing leadership, role clarity, training, and career development.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum Qualifications:

CA/CMA/CPA

Experience:

• At least 15-20 years of post-qualification experience in accounts, audit, taxation, financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and MIS reporting.
• Must have led a finance/accounts team for at least 5 years and worked in an organization with Big4 auditors.
• Experience in automation for ERP implementation.
• Experience in the education sector is preferred.
  

Working Days:

• 5.5 days
• On-site